Hypothetically Murdered, opus 31a, orchestral suite reconstructed and orchestrated by Gerard McBurney; Four Romances on Poems by Pushkin, opus 46, arranged by composer for bass and chamber orchestra (orchestration of No. 4 completed by Gerard McBurney)[a]; Five Fragments, opus 42; Suite for Jazz Orchestra (Jazz Band) No. 1, sans opus E.
Mark Elder, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Dmitri Kharitonov (bass)[a].
Signum Classics SIGCD051. DDD. TT 71:10.
Recorded in Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 16-18 December 1992.

If you enjoy the music of early Shostakovich then be prepared for a real treat. This reissue revives the very generous programme of a now-deleted 1993 Cala disc (CACD 1020), a sumptuous survey of the composer's music written between 1924 and 1937. Mark Elder leads the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in polished, enthusiastic and often spicy performances of these works. There is never a dull moment, from the infamous vaudeville of Hypothetically Murdered to the hushed darkness of the Pushkin Romances to the cheeky fluffiness of the Jazz Suite.

The exuberant 1931 theatre work Hypothetically Murdered, premiered on the Cala CD in Gerard McBurney's reconstruction, makes its comeback on Signum Classics complete with the original CD notes written by McBurney himself, updated with new biographies and a rare glimpse of the 1931 poster of the theatre production. Elder often opts for faster tempos, which helps to keep the spirit of this youthful work alive. There is a constant sense of controlled madness in the execution and Elder expertly manoeuvres the roller-coaster ride with a wonderful sense for the absurd without sacrificing the music's darker undercurrents.

Vladimir Fedoseyev conducted a more lush account of 14 excerpts from the 21-movement full score in his 2000 Saison Russe recording (RUS 288170; reviewed in DSCH No. 15), capturing some truly exquisite moments in the work's slow movements. His nostalgic sweep and ballroom charm is irresistible in the Act III Adagio and Act 1 Part 2 The River Bed. Unfortunately, Fedoseyev falls short in terms of energy and drive in the faster sections, notably in Waitresses and the closing number.

Elder's orchestra sounds far leaner in comparison, but this lends the score a piquant flavour that is fully in character with its times. He whips up full excitement in the Bacchanalia, one of the finest moments in this work, and one that would eventually find its way - by no accident I am sure - into Aksinya's Rape in Act 1 of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. Elder also delivers a masterful conclusion (the Finale to Act 1 which McBurney placed at the end for a rousing finish) with its swaggering string opening that slowly accelerates into one of Shostakovich's zaniest melodies: Dance of the Temporary Victors. Again, Elder's feel for theatre has the advantage over Fedoseyev's symphonic sensibilities; in pushing the tempo up notch by notch the finale accelerates into an uproarious finish that would have brought the house down in 1931.

Since McBurney's world premiere in 1993, not only have two more numbers from the original production surfaced (Overture and The Ruination of the City), but Derek Hulme has also revealed that the composer's original full score has finally been located. It will be very interesting to compare McBurney's work with the composer's original, but until a recording is made this reissue will be essential listening.

What makes this disc even more irresistible is a fine performance of the orchestrated Pushkin Romances with the missing fourth song, Stanzas, completed by McBurney. McBurney does not stray in restoring the gloomy conclusion to this compelling early song cycle, working with the composer's original configuration of strings and harp, but replacing the clarinet with its darker cousin, the bass clarinet. Stanzas' lumbering introduction on the bass line is played arco and underlined by the bass clarinet, recalling Bydlo from Musorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. The central section mirrors Shostakovich's own work on Musorgsky's Songs and Dances of Death, but the harp brings back a touch of 1930s colour to preserve a sense of continuity with the previous three orchestrated movements.

Soloist Dmitry Kharitonov lends operatic flavour to the performance with his dramatic bass, although he sounds somewhat lean compared to the darker Musorgskian tones of Sergei Leiferkus in his recording with Neeme Järvi and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (Deutsche Grammophon 439 860-2; deleted). Leiferkus delivered an intimate sense of hushed frostbitten fear and brooding tension in an atmosphere steeped with the bleakness of the Terror years. If Kharitonov sounds lightweight in comparison, his performance does seduce with its dramatic flair and flexibility.

Elder elicits appropriately theatrical playing from the nimble CBSO in sympathy with the soloist's style, in vivid contrast to Järvi's severity. The famous Regeneration opens with icy tones that connect with the Largo of the Fifth Symphony, while Foreboding under Elder's quick baton acquires a sense of urgency which the violins take advantage of to create a delicious tension. Here Kharitonov rides the undulating rhythms with aplomb. He makes the strongest impression in Stanzas, finishing the cycle as it was perhaps intended - on a bitter, impassioned note.

The final two items on the programme each offer a rare insight into the composer's artistic development during those turbulent years: the Five Fragments look forward to the canvasses of the mature symphonies (particularly in the final Fragment, whose violin theme appears in the finale of the mighty Fourth Symphony) while the Jazz Suite brims with the composer's youthful cheek.

The brief but enjoyable opus 42 miniatures spring to life under Elder's theatrical baton. The first two Fragments, for example, which contain in their two minutes the full range of Shostakovich's rudest gestures, are presented with stunning clarity. The buzz of the contrabassoon's reed, the tremble of tuba's metallic stabs, the ruffle of the contrabass' low E string against the fingerboard; all these wonderful subtleties are palpable. By comparison, Ashkenazy's characterful account on Decca (421 120-2; deleted) is somewhat more sober.

The action is frozen in a moment of near silence in the central Largo, where the CBSO strings project a bleached twilight glow, speaking in hushed whispers and nervous calm. The last movement's wry violin solo waltzes awkwardly like a puppet on a string, edged on by the snarling bass clarinet and snare drum, before collapsing into silence.

The three short thea-jazz pieces of the Suite for Jazz Band No. 1 of 1934 (the CD track listing and jewel case liner misprint the date as 1924 although the notes identify the correct date) are amongst the more interesting of this genre, with their twists of melody and orchestration recalling the composer's brilliance in his Tahiti Trot venture. The CBSO clearly enjoy themselves in this repertoire, judging by the enthusiastic strut with which they execute the campy final piece, Foxtrot (Blues), which McBurney sardonically observes in his excellent CD notes to be "neither a foxtrot nor a blues". A cross between swing and tango, it comes straight out of The Golden Age. From the cabaret brass to the sleazy slide guitar, it simmers with conflicts - cheap and inspired, annoying and compelling, silly and serious, it is typically and endearingly Shostakovich, the perfect dessert for a jolly good meal.

CH Loh
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